STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A friend — we’ll call her “Peaches” — has a good palate, understands wine and dines out at some pretty sophisticated places. But when it comes to home cooking, Peaches has zero confidence in the kitchen.

When she decided to cook for a date recently, she consulted with her Food Editor friend.

“So, what if I did some cheeses, olive oil with bread, some prosciutto, olives...then I just need a simple dish that I could make ahead of time. Thoughts?” she wrote in an email.

Short ribs and polenta, I suggested.

“Could I do that ahead of time?” she asked.

“Yes, the ribs are even better made a day ahead,” I encouraged. Plus, the polenta leaves a lot of options. She could make it from scratch or pick up a tube of the prepared stuff which can be skillet-seared for a few minutes just before serving.

“Yay! Will you tell me what to buy? (What the heck is a short rib anyway?!)” Peaches asked.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

OK, before this exchange, the signs were all there on the dearth of her experience in kitchen matters — the frozen organic chicken nuggets as a go-to entree, the profound confusion between filo and puff pastry, a cult-like loyalty to the New Dorp ShopRite (in part because she knows where to find the peanut butter.)

“Tell you what,” I said. “I’ll make the dish for you as long as you let me write about it.”

“Deal!” she said.

Why short ribs? In my opinion, they make a beautiful cold weather combination or comforting Sunday evening dish. Stewed beef says, ‘I think I like you, Dude’ and ‘This took me some time to make.’ It’s fragrant, complex yet a fairly low-maintenance operation in getting to the table. Fix it and fuggeddaboutit.

Serving suggestions for novices: Present it with barley, cous cous, orzo or mashed potatoes. She settled on farro — excellent idea, Peaches! — and even did a practice run on it earlier in the week before the date.

I documented making the dish from start to finish — that would include picking up the meat which, by the way, is in the beef section, Peaches — and sent along instructions with photos. She thinks she can make the ribs on her own next time. I am confident she can do it too.

“I’m going to make brasciole for him tonight!” Peaches declared the other day. She paused, “So, is that pork or beef?”

Long story short, the accompanying recipe is not in the Food section’s usual style of writing. It’s also not a recipe for dummies or anything. (We don’t want to insult Peaches there.) But let’s just say it’s a little more casual and hopefully more user-friendly to a novice.

Happy cooking!Tips for a confident cook

You can prep like a pro by following a few bits of random advice. Also, get a jump start: Rely on already-cut veggies like carrot and celery sticks in your grocer’s produce aisle.

Anchor the board

To prevent a cutting board from slipping around a work surface, wet and squeeze out water from two paper towel sheets. Lay the sheets flat on the counter and place the cutting board on top. Press down. The towels become the “glue” to keep everything in place.

Watch the salt

In general, salt should be added at the end of the stewing process, especially if using a soup base or prepared stock which already has sodium/salt added to it. Always remember that flavors intensify as a combination cooks over time.

Don’t get burned

Hot oil and cool liquid do not mix. When they do the liquid spatters which can cause a burn to the skin or a kitchen fire. After, say, sweating vegetables in olive oil or butter, turn off the heat and let the grease cool in the pot. Then add stock, wine, water or broth, whatever the recipe calls for.

Smooth the sauce

There’s nothing wrong with a chunky sauce. But a smooth one is definitely more elegant. To smooth the sauce, remove the meat, bones, bay leaf/leaves and herb twigs (like thyme or rosemary) from the finished pot of stew or short ribs. Let the dish cool. Skim off the fat. If you don’t have an immersion blender, add the cooled liquid in batches to a traditional blender. If that whole concept scares you, leave the sauce as it is. Just pick out the bay leaf and herb twigs.

Wine matters

Invest in a decent bottle of wine when cooking a stew, one that you would find palatable to drink on its own. (That’s not because you’re going to booze it up while cooking but because a crummy wine can ruin a dish.) Also, make sure you whiff the wine and taste it before cooking with it: If it smells musty, “corked” or unpleasant in any way, do not use it. SHORT RIBS FOR BEGINNERS (Makes 4 servings)

Go to the market and buy your ingredients. Short ribs (beef) are a fatty cut and will be marbled with white streaks. This is a good thing.

Now the ultimate goal with this dish is to have tender meat that’s intact on the bone. Some people tie the meat up with butcher twine. But you don’t need to mess with that: If it falls off the bone, c’est la vie. Also, some cooks put the herbs (thyme and bay leaf) wrapped in cheesecloth so they can just pull out the package at the end. It’s not a necessary step but you must remember to fish that out before serving or blending.

When you’re ready to cook, spread your ingredients out on the kitchen counter. Get a big pot (ideally a stainless steel one) with a fitted lid or a pressure cooker. Put the flour in mixing bowl.

Put the pot on the stove with the olive oil. Turn the heat to medium. While that heats, remove the ribs from their package, dust in flour and, using tongs, place in oil. Try not to let them touch. Sear the meat on every single side until they’re a little crispy and browned all around, about 20 minutes total time.

While the beef cooks, get a big mixing bowl ready. Chop up your onions, carrots and celery. Put the veggies in the bowl.

Remove your beef and put it in a bowl on the side. Throw your veggies into the pot and fry in the oil and drippings. Smash the peeled garlic with side of a knife. Toss the cloves into the pot and add bay leaves, thyme and optional tomato paste. (No, you cannot use ketchup in place of the tomato paste.) Cook and stir occasionally, about 12 minutes, until the veggies are a tad browned.

Add your beef.

Pour in your wine; don’t consume more than a modest glass or it will mess up the outcome. Cook it down for about 12 minutes or reduce the liquid in half. Add a big ol’ container of beef broth and raise the heat. When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot or pressure cooker. Cook in a pot, covered, for about 3 hours. In a pressure cooker, simmer on low for 1 hour. Try not to peek! If you must, don’t fuss with the contents too much as stirring will make the meat fall off the bone.

When your all done, turn off the heat and let sit for about 10 minutes. Remove the lid from the pot or pressure cooker and set aside. With tongs or a big spoon gently remove the beef and place on platter. Get your bay leaves and thyme out. At this point, you can smooth the sauce by pureeing it or serve it chunky. Either way, spoon your sauce over the ribs just before serving.